More than 80,000 displaced as fighting escalates in Yemen

Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands displaced as rebel Houthi forces in Yemen advanced on key cities in country over the weekend.

In advances following a week-long offensive that left hundreds dead, the Houthis seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait , one of the world's most important shipping arteries and the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, threatening Saudi oil exports diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, the Houthis — also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God) — claimed to have used drones and missiles to target Saudi Arabia, including a military base just over the border with Yemen.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree didn't provide evidence or say when the attack occurred, according to the Associated Press.

The Houthis are targeting Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping as part of a recently declared blockade, but they have said that other countries' shipping will not be targeted.

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They now control the country's entire Red Sea coastline after capturing the key port city of Mocha in Taiz province from Yemeni government forces on Friday.

Government forces still control parts of Taiz province, including its capital city of the same name, but fighting in the area continues.

Military sources said that government forces had again attacked Houthi positions in the Taiz area.

More than 500 Yemeni troops have been killed during clashes with the Houthis between 9 August and 10 September, the government-aligned National Resistance Forces said in reports carried by local media in Yemen. The National Resistance Forces claimed that Houthi losses during the same period were far higher.

More than 950 violations against civilians have been documented across the western coast front lines following the Houthis’ entry into these cities, including more than 150 cases of killings, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms reported.

Residents have fled en masse towards Aden and the Lahj Governorate following the Houthis' takeover of the cities of Mocha and Khokha, as well as al-Wazi’iyah.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the escalation of fighting in Taiz, the western coast and other governorates had displaced more than 50,000 people.

Renewed fighting in Yemen has led more than 82,000 people to flee since the beginning of September. Houthi-owned television channel al-Masirah reported that Saudi Arabia had bombed targets to support Yemeni pro-government forces.